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Sangiovanni
'Bloodline Curse: the Corpselover Curse' In addition to the Tenebrous Curse all Mekhet suffer, the Sangiovanni have an unhealthy attraction to the dead both as an object of their sorcery and as companions in their Requiem. Whenever a Sangiovanni encounters a breaking point, they must seek out the bodies of the dead to comfort their troubled souls with a sense of control. In addition to any other effects of the breaking point, a Sangiovanni gains the Corpse Comfort condition. Aside from this, the blood of a Sangiovanni is streaked with sticky black and white fluid, a visible manifestation of the 'ectoplasm' that allows them to master Cattiveria. Condition: Corpse Comfort There is something intangibly unnatural about the Sangiovanni, which caps dice pools for interactions with mortals are by their Humanity. In addition to this, they suffer a -2 penalty to all Mental and Social rolls. This condition is removed after the Sangiovanni has spent 10 - Humanity hours in the presence of a corpse, animated or otherwise. Kindred do not count for this purpose, but the Sangiovanni may be in daysleep or torpor at the time. 'Bloodline Gift: Dead Reckoning' A Sanguivanni can automatically tell when there is a corpse or undead creature within yards equal to their Blood Potency + Cattiveria. It does not tell them where or how many, but requires no cost and no roll. This applies to Kindred even if their predatory aura is turned inward. 'Disciplines' Auspex, Cattiveria, Celerity, Obfuscate 'Bloodline Discipline: Cattiveria' Cattiveria is a kind of Blood Sorcery, like Crúac and Theban Sorcery. All iterations of Blood Sorcery have five themes: Creation, Divination, Destruction, Protection, Transmutation. The first dot of Cattiveria grants a dot of Creation and a dot of Transmutation, as well as one dot in the player's choice of the other three Themes. Every time the character gains a new dot of the discipline itself, an extra dot is gained in a Theme the character already knows. Theme dots may be bought independently of the Ritual Discipline for 15 beats each. If a character somehow learns another variation of Blood Sorcery the Theme dots she already has at equal to or lower level than the new Discipline are usable with it, but she only gains one extra Theme dot rather than three when first learning the new Discipline. Linked Themes: '''Creation and Transmutation '''Sacrifice: All rituals cost Vitae equal to the highest Theme used. Dice Pools: *''Improvised:'' Wits + Medicine + Theme *''Creation: Resolve + Craft + Creation *''Destruction: ''Intelligence + Science + Destruction *''Divination: ''Wits + Empathy + Divination *''Protection: ''Resolve + Stealth + Protection *''Transmutation: ''Intelligence + Occult + Transmutation The target number of successes is the total Theme dots used in the ritual (not just the highest), adjusted according to any Ritual Factors. '''Motifs': Death, Gothic, Deliberate. Death: Cattiveria can only be used on the dead or undead. Only at the highest levels does it have any power over the living (and then only in terms of staving off or hastening death), and it may never be used on inanimate objects. This narrow focus does, however, allow users greater facility with necromancy than other forms of blood sorcery permit. :This requires some adjustment to the levels at which transmutation (animation) works. :• Animate a corpse with physical attributes only. It is therefore mindless and immune to both Dominate and Majesty, but cannot comprehend or follow complicated instructions, and has a chance die for anything that requires a dice roll. :•• Animate a corpse with physical attributes and skills. It is still mindless, but may be competent in physical tasks. :••• Animate a corpse with physical and mental attributes, plus physical skills. It may have rudimentary intelligence but not emotions, and is thus immune to Majesty but not to Dominate. It can follow complicated instructions, but obeys orders literally. :•••• Animate a corpse with physical and mental attributes and skills. It may retain the knowledge it had in life, or learn new skills. It may interpret and respond to the spirit of the necromancer's commands. :••••• Animate a corpse with physical, mental, and social attributes and skills. It can be an intelligent, self-aware creature with a unique personality (presumably the one it had in life, unless another soul is put into the body). It may anticipate the necromancer's wishes. Gothic: Cattiveria requires occult, gothic trappings such as dribbly candles, incense, and skulls. Rituals must be dramatic, and furnished with appropriate 'props' and pageantry. Deliberate: Cattiveria is deliberate. Even improvised rituals draw on the ritualist’s long work examining the Themes. It requires spiritual and mental effort from the ritualist, and is distinctly scholarly rather than intuitive. 'Rituals' ''• The Cannibalizing Corpse'' (Protection •) :This ritual is cast on an animated corpse, giving them the ability to heal their own damage by consuming other corpses, at a rate of 1 bashing damage per size of the corpse. ''• Ectoplasmic Conjuration'' (Creation •, Protection •) :The Sangiovanni learns to conjure up and manipulate the black plasm of spiritual energy called ectoplasm. She produces this gauzy, visible, weightless substance from any orifice in her body, and may use it to mend bashing damage in dead flesh. She must spend additional vitae as if she were healing damage within her own body. ''• Shambling Porter'' (Creation •, Transmutation •) :The Sangiovanni summons a skeletal corpse. It is a mindless creature, responding only to the simple commands of its master. It cannot be mentally or socially manipulated. It has an effective rating of 1 in all Physical Attributes, and 0 in all Social and Mental Attributes, no skills, a Defense of 0 and a Speed of 2. Its initial Health rating is equal to + Stamina, and it takes one level of lethal damage every hour as it rots. When the ritual expires, or when the lethal damage it has taken equals its Health rating, it collapses into a mass of rotten flesh and cannot be animated again. Until collapsing, it suffers no wound penalties. ''•• Restful Slumber'' (Transmutation ••) :The Sangiovanni taps into the peace of the grave. During the day, so long as the Kindred rests in soil or a coffin lined with soil and without interruption, he regains one Willpower upon waking. ''•• Eye of the Reaper'' (Divination ••) :The caster grants their target the ability to sense the dead. All corpses shimmer black in the bearer's perception. This shimmer is visible through layers of other matter such as walls or dirt. While this Condition is active, the bearer's perception rolls for anything other than locating corpses suffer a penalty. The strength of this penalty depends on the number of corpses in the area. ''••• Corpse Switch'' (Transmutation •••) :Upon completion of the ritual, the Sangiovanni leaves her body and enters that of an animated corpse within her line of sight. She gains its physical traits, but keeps her own social and mental traits, save for Presence. This is halved, and rounded up. Only a complete humanoid body can be used with this power. While using the corpse the vampire's social interactions with mortals are affected by the level of decomposition of the body, according to the following progression: :Full Health = No extra penalties; Health above 75% = -1 to Humanity; Health above 50% = -2 to Humanity; Health above 25% = -3 to Humanity; Health above 0 = -5 to Humanity. :Once inhabiting the corpse the Sangiovanni may access all her mental abilities save for Disciplines, and any social abilities not tied to the body. If the inhabited body dies, the Sangiovanni awakens in her own body at the next sundown. •••• Command Undead ''(Transmutation ••••, Divination •) :Three candles forged from hanged man's fat are set in a precise triangle diagram in bare earth. The ritualist blows out her ectoplasm to light the candles with eerie blue flame, calling up and consuming the remaining specter of the pathos of the hanged man. The ritualist coughs up glowing ectoplasm as the rite progresses, allowing it to spill forth from her mouth and eyes, and places a bloody kiss on either the representation of the target or the target themselves if available. :Upon completion of the ritual, the subject falls under the full bodily control of the necromancer. Like a virtuoso at the organ, the ritualist becomes aware of a thousand unlabeled buttons, and can push them in combinations and concerts that create a symphony of reaction. Verbalization is not necessary, but focus is. Most necromancers will move their hands as if jerking invisible puppet strings or twisting dials as they control their subjects. Holding up a still hand will stop the victim cold in their tracks, while lifting their hand into the air will cause the victim to rise onto her tiptoes (though not to levitate). :While Undead Mastery requires Destruction 5 and Protection 1, allowing utter and complete control over every aspect of the dead, the pure bodily control granted by this ritual can force the subject to obey any and every physical command with half their given dicepool. Mental and social abilities cannot be accessed, and so forcing someone to 'hack' is a dubious prospect, at best. Focusing on the subject or subjects of this ritual is an instant action, and all must obey the same general commands at once, or be commanded individually. Thus all subjects of this ritual may 'approach', or all may 'attack', or all may be lifted helplessly onto their tippy-tippy-tip-toes. :The :ritualist is aware of the compliance of those she controls. If the subject is somehow prevented from complying, the ritualist knows this :as well. The ritualist gains no details or information other than whether the target is complying, or prevented from doing so. :The range of the subject's control is set at the time of casting, and may be exercised at any point therein. •••• Wake the Restless'' (Creation ••••, Transmutation ••) :The Sangiovanni summons all the corpses within 100 yards. These Restless Dead have effective ratings of 4 in all Physical attributes, 1 in all Mental attributes, 0 in all Social attributes, and a Brawl skill of 4. They have a Defense of 1, and a Speed of 8, and may be granted dots of the caster's physical Disciplines on a one-to-one basis with the ritual's Potency, though they may access only the passive effects. Their initial health is equal to + Stamina, usually 9, and they take one level of lethal damage every hour until they rot unless they have Resilience. When the ritual expires, or when the lethal damage one of the Restless Dead has taken equals its Health rating, it collapses into a mass of rotten flesh and cannot be animated again. Until collapsing, it suffers no wound penalties. :Note that this power does not create corpses; it simply animates those in the vicinity, which must then make their own way to the caster. ''•••• Theft of Ectoplasm'' (Destruction ••••, Protection •••) :The Sangiovanni rips ectoplasm from her victim's body, dealing successes in lethal damage and healing the caster for the same amount. ''••••• Fleshdoll'' (Creation ••••, Transmutation •••••) :The Sangiovanni create a lot of undead minions, but none of them truly feel like worthy assistants, or even true forms of beauty save the Fleshdoll. By taking the most beautiful parts of various bodies, a Sangiovanni sews together a piece of art rivaling the porcelain dolls of the 19th century and breathes life into it. A Sangiovanni may only have one Fleshdoll at a time. :The Fleshdoll is a beautiful doll. It loves its master unconditionally, but may become envious. It acts fully on its own accord, and inherits a lot of its master's character traits. It is as mentally capable as the Sangiovanni who possesses it, capable of understanding spoken and written language. Most Fleshdolls resemble gothic 19th century dolls, but instead of staying in a case they try to spend as much time as possible with their master, distrusting anyone who tries to usurp the attention of either. Most Fleshdolls are not below threats and even physical, mental, or social harm towards those who threaten their master or their position in their master's life. A doll has no moral code or boundaries, and is treated as having a full Vinculum to its master. :The Fleshdoll is an unnatural being, and needs to be sustained constantly. The doll must be fed at least one point of vitae every X nights, where X is the ritual's Potency. If not, it rots at a rate of 1 aggravated damage per hour. 'Source' This original version of Cattiveria is in ''Bloodlines: The Chosen, ''pp 70-74. This Blood & Smoke adaptation is by Is_A_Becca, with thanks to Leetsepeak for the Bloodline Bane. Category:Unique Disciplines Category:Translations Category:Devotions Category:Conditions Category:Sangiovanni Category:Mekhet Category:Bloodlines